Wednesday, November 30, 2016

KidzType is a fantastic site for students learning how two Type. This site is designed by grade level and students can choose from games, lessons, exercises, and more. Also, KidzType tracks student's progress and offers helpful hints on how to refine their typing skills.

Help Teaching is an excellent site for educators, parents, and others looking for educational resources such as quiz/test creators, online assessments, or worksheets/printables. These printables are for K-12 and cover a wide range of subjects. Also, there is a test/virtual room where students can take online assessment and get results in real time.

I highly recommend checking out Help Teaching by clicking here!!!
For my Printerest Board on Educational Resources click here.

Swift Playground is the new free iPad app (requires iOS 10.0) for teaching kids how to code. This is a fantastic app that works very similar to those familiar w/ apps such as Hopscotch or Scratch. All a user has to do is tap on a "block" of code or drag-n-drop to create commands. No typing is required. Once Swift is a downloaded a student can select between two step by step tutorials: Learn to Code 1 (Fundamentals of Swift) or Learn to Code 2 (Beyond the Basics). Each section is very easy to learn and there is a "hint" button to help those that are stuck.

Also, there are "challenges" (i.e. Drawing Sounds, BattleShip, Brick Breaker, etc.) that users can do to help polish up on their programming skills and begin to create their own games/activities. Other features include a built-in glossary to help learning programming words/language. Import your own files/images/sounds to create your own "playground". Record your own video coding to create a tutorial or to help "Flip a lesson".

Finally, Swift Playground makes it easy to share across iOS devices and integrates w/ iTunes U to make it easy to integrate into the classroom.

LearnZillion is a very popular site that educators all over are using to find free lesson plans and videos. What makes this such a great site is the Common Core Navigator that lets a teacher type in an area code and find all the resources, lesson plans, and videos in their area aligned to Common Core Standards.

Monday, November 28, 2016

ProjectorScreen.com is an excellent site for people or educators to find projectors and other type of equipment for their classrooms. Not only can a person search through an immense amount of screens, but from other categories such as fixed or manual, multimedia carts, boards, chairs, and more.

PrepFactory is a wonderful free site for ACT and SAT prep. This interactive site uses a variety of educational videos, texts, games, and more to help students to prepare for their texts. Also, there are step-by-step instructions on how to solve/approach problems. PrepFactory is a great way to not only prepare for the ACT/SAT but help HS/MS in the subjects of Math, Vocabulary, and Grammar.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Paperscorer is a fantastic new mobile (iOS/Android, or Chrome plug-in) app that allows educators and students to assess their learning in real-time. The way this works is a teacher creates an assessment/quiz in Google Forms/Documents and then create and print out a unique answer form/bubble sheet for each student. The student then uses those forms to answer the question and take the assessment/quiz. Once the form is complete the user can then open the app on a mobile device and take pictures of the forms. Paperscorer will then grade the form/assessment and generate detailed reports. Also, Paperscorer will import student responses back to a educator's Google account. This makes it ideal for teachers to differentiate instruction.

WriteReader is an excellent learning tool for grades K-4 to help students w/ their Reading and Writing. This is done through a educational portal where educators can create an account and then share a unique code for students. Also, this portal allows for teachers to manage/monitor student accounts and track progress. Best of all, there are lots of resources for educators such as: tutorials, lesson plans aligned to Common Core Standards, and more.

Yash Math Adventure is a super fun mobile (iOS, Android) platform game for basic Math skills (i.e. addition, multiplication, etc.) for grades 1st-4th. There are over 36 levels through 6 worlds, where a student can select the skills they want to practice and then "unlock" secretes by solving equations correctly to progress through the game.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Sketch Nation the simple to use mobile (iOS/Android) app/site for creating games recently updated their lesson plan ideas page. This is a great place for educators to go to find ways on how to integrate Sketch Nation into their classroom. These lesson ideas focus on a wide variety of subjects such as: Coding, History, Math, and more. Sketch Nation makes it a seamless way to introduce STEM into their classroom in a fun and engaging way.

DimensionU is one of my favorite companies for Game Based Learning. These games take place in an interactive 3D virtual world where students strengthen their Math/Literacy skills. The games are designed for kids grades 3rd-9th and are aligned to Common Core Standards.

Here are a list of DimensionU games...

Watch the videos below to see all 4 AMAZINGDimensionU Games in action:

GoNoodle Kids is the free iOS app for students to use GoNoodle at home. GoNoodle is the super popular app that educators everywhere are using to help give students much needed "brain breaks" during classroom time. This is done through interactive fun movement videos such a
s: dancing, stretching, jumping, and more.

BoomWriter is a site that I’ve written about many times because it lets elementary, middle, and high school teachers conduct engaging nonfiction, fiction, and vocabulary development group-writing activities in almost any subject area. But their new offering is not just another product- it’s a chance for teachers to completely change how they make money (and relax) over the summer!

BoomWriter announced this week that they are developing The BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camp to create engaging, flexible, and profitable experiences for teachers as they work to make extra money over the summer. Teachers can make upwards of $1,200 per week with their camp by facilitating online instruction and writing activities for campers in Grades 4-9 using BoomWriter’s easy to use group writing site.

At $0 cost to teachers, BoomWriter will provide the curriculum, camper sign-up web page, and everything else needed to run a camp, so all teachers have to do is recruit students from their own schools or learning communities to participate. Educators can run as many sessions as they want from wherever they want and truly become their own boss on their own schedule.

Register for their mailing list to receive more information and updates to get you ready for Summer of 2017. BoomWriter is a free site that keeps finding new and better ways to support teachers through technology, and The BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camp is no exception!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

EDpuzzle the amazing educational tool (web/mobile app) is now available for free on any Android device. This as well as their easy to use iOS app makes it easy for any teacher to flip their classroom/lesson and have students view it on any device. Educators are using EDpuzzle to edit their videos (crop, add questions, etc) differentiate instruction, and more.

Time Hunter is the new educational game (web/mobile) from RoomRecess for telling time. The game follows a familiar platform/action game style as a student tries to shoot the "correct" clock while avoiding/defeating enemies and collecting stars for power-ups. Time Hunter lets users choose a bunch of different skills to practice such as: hours, minutes, elapsed time, etc.

Storyboard That the wonderful resource that educators everywhere are using for a variety of educational purposes (i.e. timelines, digital storytelling, project based learning, etc), has just release their latest bundle for Thanksgiving. These activities cover a wide range of topics such as story starters, holiday cards, and more.

Storyboard That is an excellent learning tool w/ educational portal, where teachers can manage, track, and assess student accounts in a safe environment. This easy-to-use site has an abundance of teacher guides and lesson plans, that makes it easy to integrate into any classroom or curriculum.

I highly recommend checking out Storyboard That for Thanksgivinghere!!!
by clicking

Digipuzzle is a wonderful site for finding educational games and puzzles. Educators are using this for centers or free time for students to introduce Game Based Learning into the classroom. Finally, Digipuzzle is a great site to find games/puzzles for different holidays.

I highly recommend checking out Digipuzzle for Halloween activities by clicking here!!!

codeSpark Academy is a wonderful free iOS app for students learning how to code/program ages 4-9 yrs old. Kids learn how to code by simple step-by-step instructions where they interact in the Foo Studio. This is done by dropping blocks of code and watching the actions they preform. Also, there are projects, activities, and printables, that help teach coding. This is an ideal way to introduce STEM into the curriculum.

Friday, November 4, 2016

SpellingCity w/out a doubt is my favorite site for Spelling and Vocabulary. This is a great site w/ educational portal that allows educators to create word lists that can be incorporated into educational games. These games are not only fun but highly engaging and help students learn their "words". Also, an educator can track students, find an abundance of resources/videos, and even use it for mobile learning w/ a free mobile app (iOS/Android).

Amazon Rapids is the new free mobile (iOS/Android) app for Reading kids 7-12 yrs old. This exciting app engages students in a innovative way as it tells hundreds illustrated stories in a new way. The way this works is Amazon Rapids tells a story via a chat-style dialogue that helps bring the story to life. For $2.99 a month parents can get unlimited access to short stories.

More features...

Amazon Rapids Includes:

Unique chat style — Stories are told through the lens of characters chatting with each other, letting stories come to life one message at a time.

Hundreds of original stories — Kids can explore a large and growing library that’s filled with original stories spanning adventure, fantasy, humor, mystery, science fiction and sports.

Age-appropriate content – All content is thoughtfully edited to be appropriate for kids ages 7-12.

Built-in glossary — Kids can easily look up the definition and pronunciation of words to help build their reading confidence. Each time they look up a word, it is automatically added to their personal glossary for easy reference.

“Read to me” —Kids can have stories read aloud to them while they follow along with the text.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Level it Books is the popular educational app (Android/iOS) for scanning a book's ISBN and getting a Reading Lexile/Level. It's being used by educators, parents, and librarians around the world to keep a virtual library of books, manage students Reading Levels, and more. Also, a teacher can use it not only to create class rosters and book libraries, but a "book of the day" as well.

LearningApps is a nice site I just found about from Larry Ferlazzo's excellent blog for creating learning modules. This site reminds me of Tackk as a user can create a virtual "pinboard" and to add any multimedia content to create a lesson. Also, LearningApps is a good place to find already curated educational resources.

30hands Learning is the excellent company for creating an innovative LMS (Learning Management System) as well as the popular mobile iOS apps that are ideal for digital storytelling (30hands Starter (free), 30hands Pro (paid)). The 30hands community is a perfect cloud based solution that allows educators to: manage/track students, hand in/out assignments, sched
ule events, and more. While the mobile apps are being used in education for project based learning, digital storytelling, and more.

30hands has lots of exciting news on the horizon...

After upgrading to Pro, users will have access to existing advanced features and new features in the works:

• Video clips as slides

• Google Drive + Dropbox Integration

• Importing of Google Slides and PDFs as 30hands slides

• Backgrounds and scenes

• Higher quality videos

• Advanced drag-and-drop drawing with editing

• Slide sharing with parents and students

• Slide Transitions

• Unlimited presentations

• Unlimited saves to Camera Roll

Districts that purchase 30hands Pro will get free or discounted professional development (depending on licenses purchased). The PD can be onsite or virtual and selected from our areas of expertise: Digital Storytelling, PBL, Blended Learning, Teaching Coding, and Teaching Entrepreneurship.

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David Kapuler

I have been working w/ technology and education for over 14 years in a school setting. I'm looking for work in a K-12 environment as a Technology Integration/Support Specialist in WI/IL. Contact email - dkapuler@gmail.com
I'm currently looking to get my Mac OS/Repair Certification, as well as a Masters in Technology Integration.
Also, I have a solid background in web design, w/ network/server support.
On a personal note, I';m a proud father of 3 boys and 1 girl, and have been married for 10 years.